The Founding Fathers understood from the beginning that the American War of Independence was a matter of conscience and courage. Patriots Declaration of IndependenceThey sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for freedom.
In fact, the American War of Independence International My conscience was stirred as others overseas had made the same decision. The hope of prayer A new republic beyond timeIt spread across the world, replacing the tyranny of kings and queens with the sovereignty of free men and women.
With this occasion in mind, the drafters of the Declaration, issued on this day 248 years ago, appealed to world opinion. They wrote in rebellion in America:[A] A fair respect to the opinions of mankind demands that they declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” And they described a “long string of abuses and rights violations” to justify the revolt.
Of course, the Declaration is better known for its resounding words that continue to inspire people today: “We believe these self-evident truths, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The effect was shocking. Across the globe, freedom-loving people made the American patriots’ fight their own.
In fact, some people were so inspired by the revolution that they crossed the Atlantic from Europe at their own expense to support the revolution, at a time when the voyage west took at least six weeks. Not surprisingly, they were almost all wealthy aristocrats, of high birth in their home countries, but who were nevertheless idealistically keen to support this new experiment in liberty and civic equality.
From France came Rochambeau and Chastel. From Germany came De Kalb and von Steuben. From Poland came Kościuszko and Pulaski, but Pulaski was killed in battle. Buried In Savannah.
In fact, even before the announcement Came The gunshot reverberated around the world. It was on April 19, 1775, when patriots from Lexington and Concord faced off against the Red Army of the British.
Battles of Lexington and Concord. Digitally restored replica of an original from that time. (Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Perhaps the greatest man to hear and listen to that loud noise was the Frenchman Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, the Marquis de Lafayette. As the name suggests, he too was an aristocrat, but a republican at heart.
As a young soldier stationed in Metz, 200 miles west of Paris, Lafayette first learned of the commotion of a revolution at a dinner party on August 8, 1775. The guest of honor that evening was an Englishman, the Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George III, who was the greatest enemy of American independence.
Although Gloucester was of aristocratic descent, he sympathized with the Americans. The 18th century, after all, Age of EnlightenmentIt was a time when people from all walks of life were thinking anew about modernity and progress.
The Duke related the news about people he called “the peasants.” It also talks about the Massachusetts colony’s fight back against the British and how the British dumped tea into Boston Harbor (which actually happened two years earlier).
As Told In historian Rupert S. Holland’s book The American Battle, the Duke praised the courage of the American peasants but added with a sigh that they could not defeat a regular army unless led by an experienced officer.
So Lafayette cried: “Tell me then how this may be accomplished, your Excellency.” Please let me know how I should go about this.” Gloucester responded that Lafayette himself might be able to help, to which the young man responded, “Look, I’m going to join these Americans and help them in their fight for freedom!”
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (September 6, 1757 – May 20, 1834) (Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
It took two years, but on June 13, 1777, Lafayette landed in Georgetown, South Carolina. So he volunteered to enlist in the Continental Army and serve without pay. He soon joined George Washington’s staff and humbly stated, “I’m not here to teach. I’m here to learn.”
In 1779 he sailed to France as part of a successful mission to enlist French aid in its war with Britain. In 1780 he returned to America, and the following year was with General Washington at Yorktown when the British surrendered.
Today, the nation remembers and appreciates Lafayette’s achievements. 150 There are many places here named after him, and other foreign donors have also left their mark forever on our soil. Numerous geographical vestiges remain, including Steubenville, Ohio, DeKalb County, Georgia, and Pulaski County, Arkansas.
But while most people try to remember our glorious history, others MissRemember, for example: “Appeal to Heaven” (ATH) Flag. His name is John Locke Essays in favor of freedom From the 17th century, ATHs may have already been flown at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. It’s hard to think of a greater pedigree than that.
“Appeal to Heaven” flag (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
However, in May 2024, The New York Times report (I’m not sure if that’s the right word) The “Appeal to Heaven” flag was flown by the family of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Times Apparently erroneously, he described the flag as “provocative” and “problematic.” One liberal “scholar” argued that ATH represents “a theological vision of what America should be and how it should be governed.”
Fortunately, today’s patriots have taken it upon themselves to set the record straight. For example, they pointed out that the flag has long flown across the country, even in liberal areas, but when this fake news controversy erupted, the city of San Francisco took it down in solidarity with Alito-haters. Times.
Two and a half centuries after patriots won their freedom, we find that today’s patriots must still contend with historical lies, even malice.
To be sure, our American experiment has not been easy. But with God’s grace, as our Founders appealed to the “Supreme Judge of the world” in the Declaration, we can overcome these difficulties. Big names who say negative things.
In 1787, after winning the Revolution, George Washington opened the Philadelphia Convention with a solemn proclamation: “Let us set forth a standard as wise and honest men may attain.” It will be the American flag representing the soon to be Constitution.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson signing the United States Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Oil on canvas by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940. (GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)
There are new revolutions happening in America right now: a revolution against the administrative state; a revolution against progressive bureaucrats who promote diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and transgenderism; a revolution against open borders and gun control advocates; a revolution against woke capital; a revolution against environmental degrowth advocates who want to ban everything from gas stoves to cow exhaust; a revolution against the Great Resetter at the Davos World Economic Forum.
It’s certainly a long string of abuse. A proper respect for the opinions of mankind, therefore, requires that the patriots of today take their stand, explain the new movement for freedom, and, if they do so, find that they have as many allies throughout the world as they did a quarter of a century ago.
